?There is also a huge potential for joint ventures in Bangladesh. We invite you to take advantage of the opportunities we have offered. We are eager to work in partnership with you for mutual gains and benefits,? she said at a seminar on trade and investment on the sidelines of the World Health Summit 2011 here.
Hasina has invited German entrepreneurs to cash in on investment opportunities in Bangladesh, declaring that her country has the most liberal foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in South Asia.
?Bangladesh allows the foreign investors for repatriation of hundred percent of their profits and equity. We are eager to work in partnership with you for mutual gains and benefits as we journey to the future,? she told a seminar on Monday.
Representatives of leading German companies including Macuanji GIZ, Commerce Bank, DHL, Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Solar World AG, Federal Foreign Office of Germany and local parliament members attended the seminar on ?Bangladesh-Emerging Market? organised by German Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce at Hotel Adlon.
Hasina said, ?Come to Bangladesh and help us build ?Sonar Bangla? (Golden Bangladesh), a land of prosperous and happy people.?
She highlighted the business opportunities offered in Bangladesh for foreign investors and said Bangladesh has always relied on Germany as a trusted development and trading partner.
The two countries enjoy the best of relations based on shared values, she said.
German Ambassador to Bangladesh Hogler Michael gave the welcome speech while president of Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BGCCI) Saiful Islam made opening remarks.
Partner of McKinsey & Company Dr Achim Berg presented a case study report on readymade garments (RMG) industries while Chief Executive of PICARD Germany Thomas Picard spoke on leather industry investments in Bangladesh.
Deputy chief executive officer and MD of International Economic Affairs of German Chamber Federation (DIHK) Dr Volker Treiers, and president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry AK Azad, and Bangladesh Ambassador in Germany Mosud Mannan, spoke, among others, on the occasion.
The presentation was followed by a panel discussion in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and moderated by editor of the Daily Star of Bangladesh Mahfuz Anam.
Touching upon Bangladesh?s economic success over the years, she said, ?Despite global economic downturn, the country during the present government?s tenure could maintain an average 6 percent GDP growth. Last year, the GDP growth was 6.7 percent.?
Bangladesh?s next Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) has been designed with the goal of achieving an average growth of around 8 percent, she said.
The Prime Minister also mentioned about export growth, increase of the remittance flow and said that Bangladesh in recent years has made vast advancement in manufacturing, infrastructure, human resource development, banking and corporate sectors.
?Our macroeconomic fundamentals are solid and we are socio-economically a stable country with a domestic market of 150 million people,? she said.
Referring to Bangladesh?s geographical location, Sheikh Hasina said the country bordering with India and close to China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and South East Asia, might be a natural regional hub at the heart of an economic area of three billion people.
She said the government has taken steps for corporate tax holidays, cutting import duty on machinery import, bureaucratic tangle and reducing company setting up times from several months to a day.
Moreover, our Board of Investment (BOI) which deals with the needs of foreign investors is a modern, friendly institution with a ?one stop shop? service, she said.
The Prime Minister chose the occasion to point out that presence of free press, independent judiciary and statutory bodies such as Election Commission, Human Rights Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission, have ensured good governance and the rule of law in Bangladesh.
In this regard, she mentioned about Bangladesh?s ranking by a number of international organisations including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Standard & Poor?s, Moody, UNCTAD, and World Bank for its business and investment worthiness.
Hasina said Bangladesh government has also undertaken infrastructure projects on a massive scale and adopted the public- private-partnership (PPP) policy to facilitate building more robust infrastructures in a short timeframe.
Construction of some highways, Dhaka city monorail, improved rail network, and new power stations are underway, she said, adding that her government added 2200 megawatt power in two years, which shows Bangladesh?s rapid advancement in energy provisions.
She said contracts for 34 new power plants were awarded and by the end of 2013 there will be no more energy shortages in Bangladesh. ?UNB, BSS
Source: daily-sun.com
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